. Medical and Hospital News .




.
TECH SPACE
U.S. watches helium stockpile dwindle
by Staff Writers
Amarillo, Texas (UPI) Jul 17, 2011

U.S. officials say the world's supply of helium is steadily dwindling and can't be replaced.

Texas is the site of the last U.S. Federal Helium Reserve and its underground stockpile of the gas is running out.

"There is just a finite amount of helium out here," Leslie Theiss of the Bureau of Land Management's Amarillo field office told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "There's only so much we can do. The clock is winding down on this place."

Helium is used by NASA and the Defense Department as well as in medical research and computer chip production. But it is also becoming increasingly rare since the element is created from the agonizingly slow decay of radioactive material.

"Earth is 4.7 billion years old, and it has taken that long to accumulate our helium reserves, which we will dissipate in about 100 years," said Robert Richardson, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who has studied the potential helium shortage.

Scientists are working on machines that can be used to recycle helium, but the state of the art currently is expensive and not likely to make a dent in industrial shortages that could start cropping up in the next decade, the report said.




Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



TECH SPACE
New technology allows lenses to change color rapidly
Storrs CT (SPX) Jul 15, 2011
University of Connecticut scientist has perfected a method for creating quick-changing, variable colors in films and displays, such as sunglasses, that could lead to the next hot fashion accessory. The new technology also has captured the interest of the U.S. military as a way to assist soldiers who need to be able to see clearly in rapidly changing environments. The process for crea ... read more


TECH SPACE
Cyprus leader vows 'thorough' probe of killer blast

Japan quake makes 2011 costliest year: Munich Re

International Experts Blend Space Technologies and Crowdsourcing to Enhance Disaster Management Tools

Cyprus anger mounts over 'criminal' munitions blast

TECH SPACE
A new algorithm could help prevent midair collisions

AI Solutions to Assist Air Force with GPS Satellite Positioning Data and Analyzing GPS Anomalies

GPS IIIB Satellites to Add Critical New Capabilities

LOCiMOBILE GPS Tracking Apps Cross over 1 Million users in 116 countries

TECH SPACE
Early embryos can correct genetic abnormalities during development

Surgeons implant first synthetic organ

Australia moves on head-covering laws

Clues to why 'they' all look alike

TECH SPACE
With climate changes, polar bear and brown bear lineages intertwine

Kenya to burn ivory stockpile

Police raid Thai zoo in tiger smuggling probe

Scientists discover lost toad in Malaysian jungle

TECH SPACE
Medical breakthroughs set to buoy AIDS council of war

AIDS: HIV drugs boost prevention hopes

Pandemic flu vaccine not linked to rare nerve disorder

Licensing deal to boost HIV drug access

TECH SPACE
China artist Ai 'very happy' to take Berlin post

Ai Weiwei firm challenges China tax evasion charge

China's Catholic church ordains another bishop

China fugitive awaits deportation hearing in Canada jail

TECH SPACE
Denmark to hand over 24 pirates to Kenya for trial

Chinese ship released by pirates: EU

South Korea jails Somali pirates

US Navy recruits gamers to help in piracy strategy

TECH SPACE
Sony Ericsson falls into red, says afflicted by Japan quake

Obama calls new debt talks under China pressure

China ratings agency issues warning on US debt

Fed chairman signals possible QE3


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement